Nymphadora Tonks
Tonks is a full-time Auror and a part-time mum whose wee one runs about with her grandparents while mum's busy saving the world. __TOC__ Nymphadora Tonks Nicknames/Aliases: Tonks. Very few have permission to call her Dora. Occupation: Tonks is an Auror, and she has been for nearly fifteen years. She's risen through the ranks and enjoys her job greatly, even to the point where she may be considered a workaholic. She's roughly around the level that Kingsley Shacklebolt was in Order of the Phoenix, able to run her own missions and having other Aurors answer to her. In addition, her abilities as a Metamorphmagus are an added benefit, meaning she is able to run missions and get into places that others can't. While it's not uncommon for her talents to be called into play, she does prefer to be known for her Auror work, even if she is a bit clumsy sometimes. Home: A three-level flat in London, specifically in Notting Hill. She also spends a lot of time at her parents', where her three-year-old daughter stays during the week. Finances: As a high-ranking Auror, she's very well off, although certainly not rich by any means. She never wants for finances and even saves the vast majority of her income. She isn't someone who enjoys being surrounded by pricey things - she likes to keep it simple, entertaining, and comfortable. Household: While Tonks would absolutely love to have a dog, she isn't home nearly enough to take care of one properly. Otherwise she currently lives with a five-year-old Sugar Glider called Jinx, who noses into Tonks' business constantly, and is also extremely overprotective of her, especially when it comes to males. Her daughter, Lila Mackenzie, stays with her during the weekends when she isn't working, as well as a few nights a week. Otherwise she stays with Andromeda and Ted. Tonks also spends many of her nights at her parents' house, just to get to see Lila, but her hours are so long that rarely is she home when her daughter's awake. External Appearance: As a Metamorphmagus, Nymphadora Tonks can appear any way she wants. She favors colored hair and changing her appearance just enough not to be recognizable as herself, but it's rare she does drastic changes without it being part of a mission. She has fun with it though, using her abilities for entertainment and her own amusement. As her natural self, she's petite, only 5'1, and has mousy brown hair. Her eyes are dark brown, and her face is heart-shaped and pale. She looks a bit like a pixie, not just because of her appearance, but because of her bright personality as well. Tonks has a multitude of scars, mostly due to her work as an Auror. Her most notable one is a long, seven-inch scar running diagonally across her back, which she got in her first mission. Needless to say, she got her arse thoroughly kicked. This scar - and others - are ones she hides constantly. She also has a handful of tattoos, particularly one on top of her left foot - 'courage' in kanji - a butterfly on her hip (her first one that she got when she was sixteen), and 'love' in kanji on the back of her neck. First Impression: "That can't possibly be natural!" Internal Personality: Tonks values her family above all else, and she would lay down her life in an instant if it meant saving the people she loves, especially her daughter. Loyalty means more to her than any other quality, and she’s as loyal to her loved ones, friends, and ‘causes’ as any Hufflepuff. At the same time, however, she still has oodles of charm and charisma. She is extremely affectionate, especially with people she loves. Witty and sharp, she isn't afraid to cut down anyone, although more often than not she'll do it with a smile and a wink. As an Aries, she’s horrifically stubborn on a good many things, but she’s not unreasonable; if a good argument is presented, she’ll back down. Or at least pretend to do so for the sake of not carrying the argument out past the point where it’s no longer enjoyable. She will, however, defend her friends and her family to the death, although given she’s already died, that hardly seems necessary. She’s very set in her opinions, and she will try to get others to see things her way, if only for the ‘greater good’. Courageous, strong, and loyal, she also has a vengeful streak that she tries to hide, although she more often than not fails miserably at this. There is very little she won’t do — one of her favourite things to say is that she’ll try anything once — and it takes a lot to scare her, but once she finds something she doesn’t like, she’ll avoid it like the plague. Almost always upbeat and bubbly, Tonks sees the glass as being half-full, or at least she tries. Occasionally, however, she lets her doubts and insecurities creep up on her, leaving her emotionally incapacitated until the problem’s fixed. She's also extremely clumsy and tends to drop things, and she has a tendency to miss the chair she's trying to sit in. The thing she fears most is something happening to those she loves, namely her family. Unfortunately Tonks tends to take things to extremes; when she worries, it is all-encompassing. When she’s happy, she’s almost annoyingly cheerful. She is extremely outgoing and friendly to just about everyone (except for Death Eaters and people like Dolores Umbridge, of course), as well as very playful. She is also very curious about everything in general, to the point of annoyance, and often has difficulty defining limits. She tries to live a life without boundaries, and sometimes that can get in the way of her friendships and relationships with others. Overall Tonks is funny, friendly, and well-liked, although her flaws can become very pronounced in the right situations. She does tend to drink too much when she has the occasion to do so, and she’s not above sneaking a crafty cig when she needs to relax. She’s always up for a good debate (slash fight) – mostly to cure boredom, although she claims she’s never bored – and she can’t keep a secret to save her life, unless it really is a life or death sort of thing. But once you’re her friend, you’re her friend for life, unless you betray her or someone she loves in a way that’s unforgivable. Political Views: She's very liberal as far as politics goes. Quirks/Habits: She often taps her fingers to the beat of songs in her head. Her socks never match when she can help it. No matter what season it is, she's always wearing her favourite clunky combat boots. She's always five minutes late, even if she left ten minutes earlier than usual. And while she's extremely clumsy, unlike others who might become frustrated, she takes it all in stride. If it makes her different from others, she loves it. She hums even when there isn't any music, and she is completely inept at any sort of domestic charm, including things like Scourgify and charms that fold socks just so. Her favourite morph is to give herself a cat's tail. Strengths: Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts are her two strongest magical disciplines, though she's also talented in Potions. She's fantastic at her job, and her dedication and loyalty to her friends and loved ones are strong. She's good at Occlumency as well, after being trained thoroughly by Moody. Weaknesses: Anything that includes magical theory, or anything that doesn't have practical application. Domestic charms, Herbology (she has a black thumb), Care of Magical Creatures (as much as she loves animals), she's dead clumsy, and she's also a horrible liar to her friends and family - unless she's on a mission. Her daughter is her biggest weakness, in the sense that she will do anything for her, but after taking time off to spend with her after she was born, Tonks isn't able to balance her job and her child. Her hours are too long to have a toddler at home, and rather than hire a nanny or entrust her daughter's care to strangers, she asked her parents to help. They keep her during the week, which means that Tonks doesn't know her daughter nearly as well as she wants to. It is the one thing she regrets more than anything, not having a hand in raising her daughter like she wants to. Fears and Philias: She's terrified of loved ones dying, especially Lila and her parents, and she's also scared of the ocean after nearly drowning when she was seven. Hobbies/Interests: - Spending time with her kid - Pub-hopping (and casual drinking with friends) - Music - Kickboxing - Trying to keep a goldfish alive (the record's three weeks) - Card games (poker is her favourite) - Work (she doesn't consider it to be 'work', unless paperwork's involved) - Muggle movies (science fiction and fantasy films fascinate her) Favourite Belongings: Her combat boots, along with the rest of her wardrobe; a silver ring in the shape of an ankh that she wears on her thumb; her pet sugar glider, Jinx, which technically isn't a belonging - if anything, she belonged to him. Other than these things, she isn't particularly attached to thinks she owns. She likes to think that even if she lost everything other than the clothes off her back (and Jinx tucked into her pocket), she'd be okay. Favourite Places: - Her first flat: it gave her a feeling of independence that finally made her feel like an adult. - Her childhood bedroom: she equates it with safety, love, and family. - London proper: she loves this city like nothing else; it overflows with life and excitement, and it will always be home to her. - Dublin: Temple Bar. 'Nuff said. Secrets: 1. No one has ever seen her - the real her - starkers. 2. She lost her virginity when she was fifteen, though if you ask her, she'll tell you she waited until after Hogwarts. 3. Despite her affectionate manner and attitude, it's very hard for her to fall in love, and once she does, it's nearly impossible for her to fall out of it. 4. She has a burn scar on her forearm that she absolutely hates, from when she was little and accidentally burned herself on the stove. She's never shown it to anyone. 5. No one knows the identity of her daughter's father. History Nymphadora Tonks was born 3 April 1973, to Ted and Andromeda Tonks. An only child, she was born when her parents were relatively young -- 21 and 19, respectively -- so she was raised on almost experimental terms, her parents both being too young to have quite shed their own rebellious teenager years. She’s been morphing her entire life, first starting with her hair, and then the rest of her body. She did her first intentional morph when she was two years old, although her parents, who lived in a Muggle neighbourhood, were quick to train her that changing her form was dangerous and shouldn’t be done. It wasn’t until she was eight that she finally began to morph on a regular basis, although most of it was done experimentally in front of the bathroom mirror. She would spend hours on end changing her appearance and teaching herself how to achieve certain looks without having to use a mirror for help. As a child, more often than not she’d get into trouble, driving her mother mad and making her father chuckle when he got home from work each day. She was, as her father called her, a ‘delightful little devil’, and she wanted nothing more than to please him and make him proud. She enjoyed drawing, although she gave that up after her colouring book phase, given the only talent she had in that area was colouring between the lines, and would often draw her parents pictures that they’d hang up on the refrigerator. However, a few days later, like any temperamental artiste, she’d pass through the kitchen and catch a glimpse of her drawings, then promptly tear them down and go draw news ones to replace them. After all, the difference two or three days made in her drawing skills was huge, and why allow her parents to display what she loudly declared to be ‘absolute crud’? By the time she was eleven and sent to Hogwarts, she was extremely skilled in changing her appearance. Her mother begged her to use her talents properly — preferably not at all — as she feared that her daughter would become an outcast among distrustful peers. Nymphadora—or Dora, as she preferred then--spent nearly five more years keeping her talents downtrodden, allowing others to think she was just extremely gifted with glamour charms, until she made the mistake of morphing in front of her best friend. The rumours that ensued were so brutal that she nearly dropped out of Hogwarts; instead she threw herself into her studies, achieving ten O.W.L.s in her fifth year and deciding on the Auror track. Even thought she was a Huflepuff – Sorted there because her father was a Hufflepuff and again, she wanted nothing more than to please him – she had a penchant for getting into trouble. Despite her well above-average grades, most of her time was spent figuring out ways to pull pranks and get those who’d slighted her and her friends into trouble. By the time her sixth year rolled around, most of the rumours had disappeared and she was cautiously allowed back into her former circle of friends, although nearly every time something bad happened within the student population, the perpetrator would insist that s/he had been framed by Nymphadora Tonks. She never trusted her so-called ‘friends’ again, instead seeking out others in different Houses who perhaps wouldn’t be so cruel to her. Sick and tired of being blamed and called into Sprout (her Head of House)’s office every other day, Nymphadora began to act out. Instead of trying to ignore her abilities, as she’d done the year previous in hopes that everyone would forget about it, she flaunted them. She made herself into the prettiest girl at Hogwarts and proceeded to wreak havoc through the dating scene, breaking the hearts of the boys who’d spread rumours and blamed her for their deeds. It was how she kept herself entertained for her sixth year, until finally her mother caught wind of what she’d been doing and gave her a thorough talking-to, ending Nymphadora’s conquests. In her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, she once again threw herself into her studies, having gotten all thoughts of revenge and mischief out of her system the year previous. In addition, she also made Quidditch Captain of the Hufflepuff team, having been a Chaser since her fourth year. While she never won against the infamous Charlie Weasley and the Gryffindors, she did quite well, if she said so herself. Still, the stress of that and her N.E.W.T.s was enough to make her relieved when the final Quidditch game was played, the final exam taken, and her seven years at Hogwarts were finally over. She achieved the N.E.W.T.s required to become an Auror, and in June of 1991, was sent to train at the Ministry of Magic. There Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody was quick to take her under his wing, and she spent her three years of training and the following years as his protégée, and he would later draw her into the Order of the Phoenix. Her training as an Auror was what brought on her desire to be known by her last name only, as many of the other trainees and Aurors teased her for having such a girly name. She decided to become an Auror because of her cousin's "betrayal". After Sirius was thrown into Azkaban, she realised how close she and her family had been to a man who hadn't thought twice before killing thirteen people, and she felt helpless. That was the moment she decided to never feel vulnerable again, and from then on out she decided to become an Auror. It was through the Order of the Phoenix that Tonks met and befriended Remus Lupin, whom she almost instantly fell for. It didn’t take her long to realise that Remus, being so much older than her, might think of her as nothing more than a friend; but soon enough, around the time Sirius died, she decided she wouldn’t settle for anything less than a decent chance at being to Remus what she wanted to be. That, combined with her feelings for him and her overwhelming worry as he went on his ‘suicide mission’ amongst the werewolves, nearly incapacitated her throughout Harry Potter’s sixth year. She was convinced he was going on such dangerous missions because of Sirius’ death, and she did her best to try to convince him to return. It wasn’t until after the battle of Hogwarts, however, and Albus Dumbledore’s death, that she finally got her wish. She and Remus were married on 7 July 1997, and Tonks had never been happier in her life. Even though they were fighting in the middle of a war, she was determined to enjoy their status as newlyweds, just in case time ran out. They spent a very happy year together when the unthinkable happened. Remus was killed in an attack on Diagon Alley, and Tonks was there to watch it happen. Try as she might, there was nothing she could do to save him. Barely a year after the happiest day of her life came the darkest, and she didn't know how to handle it. Falling into a deep depression, she went through her daily routine with no heart. Tonks went to work, fought in the war, and let her parents take care of her, but other than that, the days passed in a blur. Sometime during these times, she and Charlie Weasley, a close friend from Hogwarts, got together, although whether it was because mutual grief or actual attraction, Tonks didn't know, and frankly she didn't care. Despite feeling horribly guilty about her relationship with Charlie, it helped lift the cloud a little. Tonks has never done very well on her own, and without Remus, she felt as if there was a hole in her chest that couldn't have possibly been filled again. But Charlie...he helped. Tonks fought with the Order during the war, doing everything she could to help them win. And when they did, she was just as relieved as the rest; finally they could continue on with their lives, and finally the Wizarding World could start to heal. She missed Remus dreadfully, but while it never went away, it did get a little easier to get up in the morning. She continued working, throwing herself into the rebuilding efforts as a way to stave off grief. Dedicated to her job, Tonks worked as many as sixteen hours a day when she needed to, able to go off of as little as four hours of sleep a night. Her life revolved around her job, and on the weekends, she spent as much time with her friends and family as possible. During this time, she and Charlie continued to share an on-again, off-again relationship - for Tonks, it was more friends with benefits than anything - despite breaking it off after the war ended. And in May 2004, Tonks discovered she was pregnant. On one hand, she was shocked, not knowing what to do; on the other, a part of her really didn't mind. Knowing that Charlie felt a great deal of guilt from his role in the war, and not at all sure if he was ready for that sort of commitment to a child, she didn't tell him, and he never asked. She did her best to keep her pregnancy from him, but that was next to futile. Tonks also felt incredibly guilty, unable to shake the feeling that this should've been her future with Remus, and now she was facing single parenthood alone. She knew it was unfair not to tell Charlie - unfair to Molly not to let her know that she had a grandchild - but she was in no state to deal with that, and she didn't think Charlie was either. What mattered first and foremost was the safety and protection of her child. She spent the next nine months pushing paper instead of running off on active duty, and despite her mother's insistences that she take it easy and go on maternity leave a little early, Tonks stayed. On 23 January 2005, her water broke in the office, and less than six hours and an easy delivery later, her daughter Lila Mackenzie Tonks was born. She contemplated telling Charlie then, but put it off. How did someone walk up to one of their best friends and tell him they had a baby together that she'd never bothered to tell him about? Thankfully, her daughter was a Metamorphmagus, and the tell-tale head of ginger hair was hidden with ever-changing hair. For six months, Tonks spent every waking minute with her daughter, getting to know her and falling more in love with her every day. Her mother helped her learn how to change nappies and to feed her, and even coached Tonks on how to hold her daughter properly. Tonks was clueless, and what her instincts didn't cover, Andromeda did. Going back to work was a problem. It hurt Tonks to leave Lila, but she had to work and had to do her part to help society. Because of her long hours, Tonks and her parents made an arrangement: Lila would stay with them, with Tonks welcome to sleep over as often as she wanted, during the week. On weekends she doesn't have to work, she either stays with her parents or Lila comes with her to their flat. Most recently, after the deaths of Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley, and the accusation of Quentin Trimble, her boss approached her with a new assignment. Under the guise of transferring Departments to have more time to spend with her daughter, Tonks is to take up a job as Charlie's administrative assistant. She will essentially be pushing paper for him and handling things for him, but her real assignment is to protect him. She is essentially an undercover bodyguard for him, chosen for her friendship with him, her unassuming appearance, and her talent with a wand. She accepted the job, wanting to do everything she could to help protect her friend, and she starts soon. Meta Journal: birdwotcher PB: Natural face: Rachel Weisz Most common face: Rachael Leigh Cook Player: Aimée Category: Characters Category: Aurors